Recent News

Blaze Pizza opening at The Waites THE WAITES, BIRMINGHAM — Retail Specialists welcomes Birmingham’s newest pizza concept, Blaze Pizza, to The Waites. Blaze Pizza will officially open to the public on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Opening day is also known as Free Pizza Day! To receive a free pizza, guests must follow Blaze Pizza on social platform […]

Toys ‘R’ Us to Close 20 Percent of Stores, Expand Focus on Loyalty Programs, Web POSTED ON JANUARY 25, 2018 BY CAMREN SKELTON [link to article] Toys ‘R’ Us plans to shutter up to 182 stores as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan. WAYNE, N.J. — Toys ‘R’ Us is planning to shutter up to 182 underperforming stores across […]

ATLANTA, GA (January 10, 2018) – Retail Specialists is thrilled to welcome Bill Read to the team as Executive Vice President. With over 30 years of experience and a proven passion for real estate, Read’s decision to join Retail Specialists provides the company with another top-ranked industry leader. Working previously with DDR in Atlanta, Bill’s experience […]

Retail Specialists welcomes Bill Read as EVP to Atlanta Office

ATLANTA, GA (January 10, 2018) – Retail Specialists is thrilled to welcome Bill Read to the team as Executive Vice President. With over 30 years of experience and a proven passion for real estate, Read’s decision to join Retail Specialists provides the company with another top-ranked industry leader.

Working previously with DDR in Atlanta, Bill’s experience has encompassed leasing a large portfolio of retail power centers, portfolio acquisitions, anchor repositioning, merchandising and the redevelopment of power centers.

During his tenure with DDR, Bill opened the Atlanta office and led its growth from four centers to become the largest owner of shopping centers in Atlanta. Bill was responsible for the leasing and redevelopment activities for the company’s Southeast regions, comprising as much as 20 million square feet.

Bill has consistently raised asset values thru strategic leasing, marketing and shopping center repositioning. He also provided portfolio reviews and market tours for some of the nation’s largest real estate funds, such as Blackstone, TIAA-CREF, Ohio State Teachers Retirement Fund and Green Street Advisors. With a catalog of successes, his experience has led him to speak on ICSC panels, continuing education events and named to Atlanta’s Business Chronicles list of who’s who, a list of the top 100 in Atlanta Commercial Real Estate six years in a row. [link]

“This is an unbelievable opportunity for me to join a fast growing company and help accelerate their acquisitions strategy and expand their best in class platform.” ~ Bill Read

“Bill is unequivocally a top player in retail. The fact that he is so well known as a retail expert in the Southeast and elected to come on board with our team is both a professional delight and a personal pleasure,” says Robert Jolly, CEO of Retail Specialists. “We have known each other for years and I can’t wait to work with him. With the talent we have recruited over the last year, including Emil Gullia, Stuart Brock, and Jackson Ratliff, we have positioned our company to excel while cementing our reputation as THE retail real estate professionals in the Southeast.”

When asked about his new position working with Retail Specialists, Read said, “This is an unbelievable opportunity for me to join a fast growing company and help accelerate their acquisitions strategy and expand their best in class platform.”

Retail Specialists is a growing retail real estate firm with offices in Atlanta, Birmingham, and New Orleans hiring top talent, as exemplified by Bill Read. We are thrilled to have this industry expert work with us as we expand the quality and depth of our services, valuing wisdom, personality, and experience as core tenets of our company culture.